Box Office Insider: Top-Grossing Women On The Charts, By The Numbers

Included in this issue’s spotlight on the “Women of Live,” we are highlighting five touring acts who have contributed to what is already proving to be a robust 2024 at the box office. In just the first two months of the year, more than 11 million tickets have been sold for live events worldwide. And overall grosses from concert performers who have made an impact on the Pollstar charts are currently tracking well over $900 million.

Among the women who have helped obtain that impressive global gross, about $31.2 million of it comes from Madonna, who tops the list of the five highest-grossing women concert headliners during the first two months of 2024. After launching “The Celebration Tour” last fall, she returned to the road on Jan. 8 after a brief winter break, performing her first two shows of the year at Boston’s TD Garden. So far this year, she has played to capacity crowds at 11 concerts in six arenas with an overall number of sold tickets now totaling 153,261.

Madonna kicked off the ongoing tour, the 12th of her multiple-decade career, with a European leg that began in October and ended in December at The O2 Arena in London where she racked up a gross of $22.8 million. She sold 59,556 tickets at her first four shows there, then another 31,111 for her two-night London finale that wrapped the European trek.

Now in North America, New York City’s Madison Square Garden has reported her best box-office results, a gross of $10.3 million from 41,207 sold seats on Jan. 22, 23 and 29, her first three-show run this year. At three other arenas, she performed two concerts, beginning first with her Boston shows, Jan. 8-9, that moved 25,685 tickets for a $5.5 million haul. She also appeared for two shows at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, Jan. 11-12, and played two nights at Bell Centre in Montreal, Jan. 18 & 20. Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena and Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center both hosted the tour for one show.

Karol G is next in the ranking of top-grossing women with $17.8 million in ticket sales from three shows on her “Mañana Será Bonito Tour.” Like Madonna, she launched her tour last year and returned to the road in 2024 after a winter break, but her first engagement of the year came in February. With shows from the 8th through the 10th, she performed for 137,423 fans at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, the first of 14 stadiums booked in Latin American countries through May 10.

Prior to this year, the Colombian singer grossed more than $138 million on the tour’s opening leg which played U.S. stadiums with shows during August and September. Her best box-office figures were recorded in Pasadena, California, at Rose Bowl Stadium, Aug. 18-19, with a gross totaling $25.4 million from 118,264 sold tickets.

Also, with box-office success at a Mexican stadium, K-pop group Twice secures the third-highest gross based on two concerts in February at Mexico City’s Foro Sol. The nine-member group from South Korea drew 114,049 fans to the venue for a two-night event that grossed $11.2 million. 

Their “Ready to Be World Tour” began in Seoul in April of last year, followed by dates in Australia, Asia, North America and Europe throughout 2023. The tour’s top two grosses came from U.S. stadiums, the highest $7.97 million at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, while MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey grossed $7.56 million.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler appeared on the charts with 20 performances this year at six U.S. venues booked on their “Restless Leg Tour.” The co-headliners have seen their concert grosses reach $9.8 million so far in 2024. Ranked fourth among women headlining tours, the comedians sold 63,361 tickets at theaters in Oregon, Georgia, Florida, California and New York. Included on their tour was New York’s Beacon Theatre with 11 performances on the books between Feb. 7 and 18.

Then, at No. 5, Mexican singer/songwriter Gloria Trevi scores with five concerts on the charts and a gross of $2.9 million from 31,606 sold tickets. She performed at Payne Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, on Jan. 26, followed by shows in four California arenas, beginning with Anaheim’s Honda Center Feb. 2. She also played SAP Center in San Jose, Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert and Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center. The San Jose venue had her top ticket total of 7,261.